Tucker West of The United States in action during Luge training ahead of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Alpensia Sliding Centre on February 6th in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Tucker West of The United States in action during Luge training ahead of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Alpensia Sliding Centre on February 6th in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Photo: Clive Mason / Getty Images

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USA's Tucker West takes a corner in a training session for the men's luge singles during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, at the Olympic Sliding Centre on February 8th in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

USA's Tucker West takes a corner in a training session for the men's luge singles during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, at the Olympic Sliding Centre on February 8th in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Photo: Mark Ralston / AFP /Getty Images

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Tucker West of the United States slides in a training session for the Men's Luge during previews ahead of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Olympic Sliding Centre on February 8th in Pyeongchang, South Korea. less

Tucker West of the United States slides in a training session for the Men's Luge during previews ahead of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Olympic Sliding Centre on February 8th in Pyeongchang, ... more

Artist Wendy Van Buran of Ridgefield, paints the window of Tazza Cafe on Main Street with a message of support for hometown Olympian Tucker West, who will start competing in the mens luge this Saturday in Pyeongchang. Photo Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. less

Artist Wendy Van Buran of Ridgefield, paints the window of Tazza Cafe on Main Street with a message of support for hometown Olympian Tucker West, who will start competing in the mens luge this Saturday in ... more

Christy Douwes of Ridgefield models an "Olympic pride" hat, available in a kit, at Nancy O yarn and Gift Shop in Ridgefield, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. The town is getting ready to cheer on hometown Olympian Tucker West, who will start competing in the mens luge this Saturday in Pyeongchang. less

Christy Douwes of Ridgefield models an "Olympic pride" hat, available in a kit, at Nancy O yarn and Gift Shop in Ridgefield, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. The town is getting ready to cheer on hometown Olympian ... more

Ridgefield is getting ready to cheer on hometown Olympian Tucker West, who will start competing in the mens luge this Saturday in Pyeongchang. This poster is in a window of Olley Court on Main Street, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. less

Ridgefield is getting ready to cheer on hometown Olympian Tucker West, who will start competing in the mens luge this Saturday in Pyeongchang. This poster is in a window of Olley Court on Main Street, ... more

Tucker West's parents, Pat and Brett West, left and center, hang a flag on Main Street in Ridgefield with Leslie Krichko, right, who is organizing the town's support.

Tucker West's parents, Pat and Brett West, left and center, hang a flag on Main Street in Ridgefield with Leslie Krichko, right, who is organizing the town's support.

Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

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“Team Tucker” takes over Ridgefield

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RIDGEFIELD — A quick stroll down Main Street this week would be enough to tell anyone — if they didn’t already know — that one of Ridgefield’s own will compete in this month’s Winter Olympics.

Photos of 22-year-old men’s luge athlete Tucker West can be found on signs in store windows, front lawns and a life-sized banner hanging from Town Hall. Not to mention the USA Olympic flags hanging from lampposts lining the street.

“Once the flags went up (last week), it was like ‘bingo,’ ” said Leslie Krichko, a local Realtor who is leading the town’s “Team Tucker” campaign. “Everybody caught on once those went up.”

Krichko said nearly all of the 175 yard signs she ordered to support West, who also competed in 2014, have sold out. West’s family also recently ran out of free Team Tucker T-shirts after sending nearly 2,000 to fans around the country, according to the Team Tucker Facebook page.

The page features updates on the games and photos of supporters of all ages, and even some dogs sporting the shirts, which were designed by West’s youngest sister.

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But Ridgefield’s “Olympic fever,” as Krichko calls it, is bound to ramp up even more this weekend when West takes his first two runs down the 1,300-meter track in Pyeongchang, South Korea. He will also walk in Friday’s opening ceremony. His luge teammate, Erin Hamlin, will be the flag bearer for Team USA.

Several restaurants in Ridgefield will show recordings of the first race, which will take place between 5 and 7 a.m. Saturday. Coincidentally, the NBC announcer who will call West’s race, Leigh Diffey, is also from Ridgefield.

Tiger’s Den, on Catoonah Street, will host an official viewing party of the race at 11:30 a.m., when it airs on NBC.

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Times to watch

Saturday: Run one and two will be at 5:10 a.m. and 6:55 a.m. EST and will be broadcast at 11:30 a.m. on NBC.

Sunday: Run three and four will be at 4:50 a.m. and 6:55 a.m. EST and will be broadcast at 1:30 p.m. on NBC.

Thursday: If West qualifies for the USA Relay Team, he will race at 7:30 a.m. It will be broadcast at 9:30 a.m. that day on NBC.

West will also be joined in Pyeongchang by Roxbury snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis, who will compete in the Olympics for the fourth time. A banner reading “Go Lindsey Go!” can be found on Town Hall.

“For me it’s kind of crazy when you’re watching TV and you see the hometown say ‘Ridgefield, Connecticut,” said Adair Search, who works at Tazza Cafe. “There’s a lot of pride in our town when someone goes to the Olympics.”

The cafe, now owned by Felipe Pelaez, had an artist paint “Good Luck on the Luge Tucker” on its front window.

Just around the corner at Nancy O, a gift boutique and knitting studio on Catoonah Street, residents can buy kits to knit an Olympic-themed winter hat.

Owner Nancy O’Connell said knitting the hats, which feature five stripes in the colors of the Olympic rings, can be a great activity to do while watching the games. She said she’s always supported the Olympics, but this is the first time the store has created the kits.

“We were trying to come up with something we can do and we got our (Team Tucker) sign and said ‘Okay, now we’re inspired,’ ” O’Connell said.

Krichko, a two-time Olympian herself, said the strong show of support this year “brings tears to her eyes.”

It is similar, she said, to how “Olympic fever” spread in 2014 when West competed in his first games in Sochi, Russia. Back then, Krichko, who competed in 1980 and 1988 in cross-country skiing, said she was excited to find out Ridgefield had a fellow winter Olympian, but was surprised when not many people seemed to know he was competing.

She called First Selectman Rudy Marconi and quickly got together a group to help spread the word. “My town went crazy when I was in the Olympics and it meant so much to me,” said Krichko. “(In 2014) I decided that I was going to hang a flag from my office and thought, “Wouldn’t it look great if we had flags all the way down Main Street?’ ”

The support quickly spread, she said, especially among children inspired by West, who, in 2014, became the youngest man to represent the United States in luge at 18 years old.

She hopes this year’s support will motivate West as it did when her hometown cheered her on.

“It’s sort of like this extra little motivation,” Krichko said. “It’s so heartwarming to know you have that support. It made me feel like I had wind beneath my wings.”

When West returned home in 2014, Krichko said he was so appreciative that he spent hours signing autographs, speaking around town and taking pictures with fans.

West, reached by phone in Pyeongchang this week, said he’s humbled to see everyone rallying behind him, especially the flags on Main Street.

“(Representing the U.S.) is an honor and the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” West said. “I’ve had this dream as far back as I remember.”